Measuring head and measuring assembly for a nuclear fuel rod

Abstract

A measuring head is used in measuring an assembly part of a nuclear facility, such as a fuel rod, a fuel assembly box, or a spacer of the fuel assembly. The measuring head is capable of augmenting a comparatively large data base representing the overall aging state of the fuel elements in a simple manner and within a short measuring time. The measuring head has a probe tip on the sensor housing and a layer thickness measuring probe is integrated into said probe housing, said measuring probe working according to the eddy current principle. The contour or the diameter of the fuel rod can be determined by the measured deflection of the probe.

1. A fuel rod testing assembly, comprising:
 a plurality of measuring devices each having a sensing arm with a laterally deflectable free end and a measuring head carried on said free end of said sensing arm; and  
 a carrier body carrying said plurality of said measuring devices and being mounted on a plurality of guide rolls disposed to be guided along a fuel rod;  
 said measuring head of said measuring device having: 
 a sensor housing;  
 a sensing tip for determining a contour or geometry characteristic value of the fuel rod, said sensing tip being disposed on said sensor housing; and  
 a layer thickness measuring probe integrated in said sensor housing for measuring a thickness of a layer on the fuel rod.  
 
 
     
     
       2. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said layer thickness measuring probe comprises a coil arrangement connected to an eddy current detector. 
     
     
       3. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said layer thickness measuring probe is disposed inside said sensor housing, behind said sensing tip. 
     
     
       4. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said sensing tip is made from diamond. 
     
     
       5. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said sensing arm is disposed on said carrier body via a bending joint, and a sensor is disposed for recording a bending angle of said bending joint. 
     
     
       6. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein said sensing arm is a deflectable spring steel sheet. 
     
     
       7. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1 , further comprises a strain gauge disposed on said sensing arm. 
     
     
       8. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 1  configured for testing any of a number structural parts of a nuclear engineering installation. 
     
     
       9. The fuel rod testing assembly according to  claim 8  configured for testing a fuel rod, a fuel assembly channel, or a spacer of the nuclear engineering installation.